Conventionally, an inkjet recording apparatus has been easily realized as a low noise, low apparatus cost, low running cost, and downsized apparatus. Therefore, it has been widely used as a recording apparatus, a copier, etc. A serial inkjet recording apparatus is one of the embodiments, and records data of one path by repeating the operation of a recording head in the main scanning direction and the transfer of a recording medium in the sub scanning direction. Control is performed by reserving a sufficient memory capacity for storing all data to be recorded in at least one main scanning direction, and starting the main scanning drive of the recording head after storing all data to be recorded in one main scanning direction.
However, there has been the problem that the above-mentioned conventional configuration requires a large amount of expensive memory against the recent request for a lower cost, and results in a costly apparatus. In this situation, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-146929 has suggested an apparatus having memory smaller than the memory for one main scanning direction in managing the addresses for storage of record data.
However, the suggestion does not disclose the processing of null data (“0” data) which is not recorded. Accordingly, although there is no data to be stored in the memory, a predetermined area is reserved in the memory, thereby failing in successfully disclosing an apparatus for efficiently utilizing the memory.
Furthermore, it does not disclose any data processing to be performed when additional data to the recording operation during the recording process cannot be provided in time.
Additionally, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-259248, it is suggested that the main scanning is to be started before the data for one main scanning direction is completely input into the buffer. However, this suggestion is based on the reception of data sufficient to complete the scanning during printing of the scanning while performing the main scanning along the printing path.
As a result, for example, it is necessary for a host computer which is an upper apparatus to continuously transfer data without interruption to the recording apparatus during printing (580). The currently predominant Windows System is a general-purpose multitask system, and the exclusive data transfer by the host computer is not guaranteed, but it is rather difficult to realize the desired host processing.
Otherwise, to allow the host computer to exclusively perform data transfer, it is necessary to prepare the program of the printer driver unit such that the data transfer can be performed without interruption. However, in this case, there occurs a disadvantage of interfering with the general-purpose multitask system.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-259248, as in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-146929, does not disclose the processing of null data which is not to be recorded, thereby failing in suggesting a method of efficiently using memory.
The present invention aims at providing a recording apparatus and a method for controlling the recording apparatus by dividing the contents of the color record data recorded on a record medium using a recording head into a plurality of recording blocks in the scanning direction, storing the image data from the host computer in a recording block unit, and recording the data. Although the image data cannot be stored in time for a recording operation, the stored image data is recorded, the remaining image data is stored, and then scanning is executed again to record the remaining image data, thereby completing the recording and realizing the recording control.